Atlanta

ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE -- The Coca Cola Co., PepsiCo and Dr Pepper Snapple Group are launching vending machines that list how many calories are in their beverages.

With the move, announced Monday by the American Beverage Association, the companies will increase availability of lower-calorie drinks in vending machines, display calorie reminder marketing on vending machines and add calorie labels on selection buttons.

The vending machines will launch in municipal buildings in San Antonio and Chicago in 2013 before launching.

"Healthy people and healthy communities have always been a priority for Coca-Cola," said Steve Cahillane, president and CEO of Coca-Cola Refreshments.

"Our support of the Chicago and San Antonio Wellness Challenge, and the new Calories Count Vending Program is another bold step in our efforts to help people understand the importance of energy balance. We believe partnerships like this - those which involve government, industry and civil society - can have a meaningful impact on the obesity issue. We applaud the cities of Chicago and San Antonio for joining us in this innovative initiative."